Crossover exhaust system for v-8 engines



Aug. 19, 1958 0. B. LEACH 2,847,820

CROSSQVER EXHAUST SYSTEM FOR V-B ENGINES Filed June 30, 1954 2Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Gig/$022 Blacf (X JQM ATTORNEY 1958 c. B. LEACH2,847,820

CROSSOVER EXHAUST SYSTEM FOR V-8 ENGINES Filed June so, 1954 2sheets-skeet 2 INVENTOR ATTORNEY 2,847,820 Patented Aug. 19, 1958CRGSSOVER EXHAUST SYSTEM FOR V-8 ENGINES Clayton B. Leach, Pontiac,Mich., assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., acorporation of Delaware Application June 30, 1954, Serial No. 440,347

2 Claims. (Cl. 6029) This invention relates to exhaust systems forengines and for other purposes and has particular relation to exhaustsystems especially applicable for use with light weight, high speed,internal combustion engines for automotive and other uses.

It has heretofore been considered desirable to employ as many aspossible of identical parts in manufacturing engines for automotive andother uses. However, in the manufacture of exhaust systems particularlyfor V type engines where exhaust manifolds are employed on oppositesides of an engine it has been found diflicult to use the same manifoldin both positions. Steering mechanisms,- starters, generators and otherengine accessories and vehicle components have made it necessary toemploy specially designed manifolds on each side of the engine, toemploy separate exhaust conduits for each side of the engine or toemploy conduit systems with many sections and with complicated bends andother objectionable features that increase the back pressure in theexhaust system and that render the exhaust system expensive anddiflicult to handle and to install and remove.

It is now proposed to provide a simplified exhaust systent in whichidentical exhaust manifolds can be employed on opposite sides of theengine. These exhaust manifolds are constructed to lie as close aspossible to the sides of the engine and to provide manifold outlets atthe rear of the engine on one side of the engine and at the front of theengine on the opposite side of the engine. It is further proposed toprovide a bifurcated exhaust conduit which may be disposed principallyon one side of the engine, with branches communicating with each of themanifold outlets and with coupling means capable of allowing the conduitmeans to be easily installed and disassembled.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view of an engine having anexhaust system embracing the principles of the invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary cross sectional view of the connection betweenone of the manifold outlets and one of the exhaust conduit branches asthe structure may appear substantially in the plane of line 2--2 onFigure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary cross sectional view of the engine and showingthe main manifold passage of one of the exhaust manifolds employed inthe engine. Figure 3 is taken substantially in the plane of line 3-3 onFigure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows thereon.

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view of the coupling shown by Figures 1and 2 as the coupling will appear substantially in the plane of line 4-4on Figure 1.

The engine employed in illustrating the invention may be a V type enginehaving obliquely disposed cylinder banks 11 to which engine heads 12 arebolted or otherwise secured. The heads 12 have exhaust manifold passages13 opening outwardly therefrom through outer side walls 14 of each head.Exhaust manifolds 16 and 17 are adapted to be secured by bolts 18 to theside walls 14 in such manner that the manifold branches or inletpassages 19 will communicate with the exhaust passages 13 in the heads12. In the present instance each of the manifolds 16 and 17 has branchpassages 19 at the opposite ends thereof for one cylinder of each bankof cylinders of the engine and branch passages 19 intermediate the endsthereof for two cylinders of each bank of cylinders of the engine. Thebranch passages 19 extend outwardly and downwardly from the exhaustpassages 13 substantially in parallel relation to the outer side wallsof the banks of cylinders 11. The lower ends of the branch passages 19communicate with main passages 21 that extend throughout the length ofthe manifolds 16 and 17 and in such manner as to connect all of thebranch passages 19. The main passages 21 are oval in cross section andlie as closely as possible to the sides of cylinder banks 11 with themajor axes of the oval formation thereof extending downwardly andinwardly along the sides of the cylinder banks 11 and substantially inparallel relation to the outer side walls thereof.

The manifolds 16 and 17 have manifold. outlets 22 and 23 extendingdownwardly and inwardly therefrom and at substantially the same angleswith respect thereto and between manifold branches at the opposite endsthereof.

With respect to all of the structure previously described the manifolds16 and 17 are identical so that a single design of manifold may beemployed in constructing the engine, two of the manifolds being employedin reverse relation on opposite sides of the engine.

If it is desired to employ exhaust heating for the induction system ofthe engine. one of the manifolds may be modified in such manner as topermit the installation of a heater control valve such as that indicatedat 24.

The manifold outlets 22 and 23 are adapted to communicate with branches26 and 27 of a bifurcated exhaust conduit 28. In order to expedite theconstruction and installation of the bifurcated exhaust conduit 28 it isproposed to employ an axially rotatable coupling 29 in the branchconduit 27. The coupling 29 is formed by conduit sections 31 and 32 withthe outer section 31 being larger than the inner section 32 and the endof the section 32 telescoping within the end of the section 31. The endof the section 31 is slotted at 33 to permit the end of the section 31to be contracted upon the end of the section 32. A contractable couplingmember 34 is adapted to have the ends thereof secured together by a bolt36 for the purpose of contracting the end of the section 31 upon the endof section 32.

It will be apparent that when the bolt 36 in the coupling member 34 isloosened that the conduit section 32 may be rotated with respect to theconduit section 31 and with respect to the branch conduit 26 of thebifurcated conduit 23.

The ends of the branch conduits 26 and 27 which are adapted to beconnected to the manifold. outlets 22 and 23 each are constructed toprovide an outwardly projecting flange 37 adapted to engage a gasket 38at the ends of the outlets 22 and 23. Secured within the flanged ends ofeach of the branch conduits 26 and 27 is a coupling member 39 adapted totelescope within the end of one of the manifold outlets 22 or 23. Thecoupling members 39 may be secured within the ends of the conduits 26and 27 in any suitable manner as by employing the dimple constructionindicated at '41. Flange collars 42 are adapted to engage the outersurfaces of the flanges 37 for the purpose of securing the flangesagainst the ends of the outlets 22 and 23. Bolts 43 may be made toengage threaded openings in the 3 flanged lowerends 44 of the outlets 22and 23 for the purpose of compressing the flanges 37 against the gaskets38.

It will be apparent that the manifolds 16 and 17 may be reversed uponthe opposite sides of the engine 10 and that consequently only onemanifold design need be employed.

It will also be apparent that the ends of the branch conduits 26 and 27:may be made to telescope within the ends of the manifold outlets 22 and23 when the conduits are secured to the manifolds by the bolts and thatthis installation may easily be made by reason of the axially rotatablecoupling 29 which permits the bifurcated conduit 28 to be adjusted tothe position of the outlets 22 and 23from the manifolds 16 and 17.

I claim:

1. An exhaust system for engines having obliquely disposed banks ofcylinders with the outer walls thereof sloping inwardly toward thecrankcase of the engine and comprising, similar exhaust manifolds havingmanifold outlets projecting downwardly from the main manifold passagestherein, said manifold passages being formed in said manifolds to extendalong said side walls of said banks of cylinders and being oval information with the major axes of said oval formations extending inwardlysubstantially in parallel relation to said side walls, said manifoldsbeing formed to provide upwardly and inwardly disposed branch passagesextending from said main manifold passages to provide communicationsbetween the exhaust passages in said engine and said main manifoldpassages, said manifold outlets also being formed to slope downwardlyand inwardly along said side walls of said engine from said mainmanifold passages and from between two of said branch passages atdifferent ends of said manifolds when said manifolds are disposed onopposite sides of said engine, and bifurcated exhaust conduit meanshaving inlets connected to said manifold outlets, said bifurcatedexhaust conduit means being disposed principally on one side of saidengine with a branch conduit communicating with the manifold outletadjacent the rear end of one of said manifolds and with another branchconduit extending forwardly and beneath said engine and communicatingwith the manifold outlet adjacent the front end of the other of saidexhaust manifolds, said branch conduits being provided with meanstelescoping within the ends of said manifold outlets and with flangemeans engaging the ends of said manifold outlets and with collar meansengaging said flange means to compress said flange means against theends of said manifold outlets.

2. An exhaust system for engines as defined by claim 1 and in which saidbranch conduit extending forwardly and beneath said engine is providedwith rotatable coupling means permitting sections of said branch conduitto be axially rotated so that said means telescoping within the ends ofsaid manifold outlets and said flanges may be adjusted to fit the endsof said manifoldoutlets.

References Citedin the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,975,925 Compo Oct. 9, 1934 2,054,324 Hollerith Sept. 15, 19362,260,704 Davies Oct. 28, 1941 2,303,311 Gredell Nov. 24, 1942 2,318,006Mercier May 4, 1943 2,346,782 Muller Aug. 29, 1944 2,388,924 MercierNov. 13, 1945 2,571,254 Keller Oct. 16, 1951 2,603,199 Moseley July 15,1952 2,694,583 Zitza et al. Nov. 16, 1954 2,757,652 Rothwell Aug. 7,1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 707,344 France Apr. 13, 1931 869,688 France Nov.17, 1941 8,366 Switzerland May 17, 1894 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE aCERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No, 2,847,820

August 1.9, 1958 Clayton B, Leach Column 4, line 28, list of referencescited under "UNITED STATES PATENTS" for the patent number "2,346,782"read 2,356,782

Signed and sealed this 30th day of December 1958,

(SEAL) Attest:

RAR H,,AXLINE ROBERT C. WATSON Attesting Oflicer v Commissioner ofPatents

